An Interview With Shelby Mynhier

SHELBY MYNHIER: DOLLIE

Shelby Mynhier, a Southern California native and young woman of the arts, has snagged the Farm’s attention with her refined talent as a dancer. As one of five new Dollies selected by our beloved LSJ Marching Band, Shelby is looking forward to one year of jam-packed dancing riots.

After an intense education in dancing and the arts at Orange County High School of the Arts, Shelby says she chose Stanford to focus on her academics, and in turn has been overwhelmed by all these new passions combined with a desire to find a community of artists with similar interests as those she has always had.

“Theres a lot of artistic freedom here,” Shelby said. “Because a lot of people are really open, it creates this creative energy that everyone is collaborating. It’s a lot more supportive than where I used to dance.”

And now, after becoming a Dollie, Shelby admits it can be a struggle to balance academics, fitness, friends, dance, and everything in between: “I stay in the mindset of “just do.” If I think too much about if I have time for something then I never do. I really focus on my mental state... It’s really easy to fall prey to really negative “I can’t do this anymore” kind of thoughts. But because I love everything I do, maintaining the positive mindset makes sure I can still love and the things I love don’t become chores and they don’t become things that I resent because I’m so busy all the time.”

How Shelby Stays Fit:

“I really love high-intensity workouts that can be over in 30 minutes. I really like to be efficient, so I like to get in and out of the gym as fast as possible,” Shelby says. She doesn’t spend any more than one hour in the gym, and she’ll skip an exercise to make sure she gets a good stretch in.

“Dance is more full-body-aerobic. Depending on the style, it’s a different workout. I was always more of a contemporary jazz dancer. When I go to the gym, I feel like I’m sculpting specific muscles. I think I’ve found the perfect balance between the two. I really like cross-training.”

(Go-to) Food:

Quest bars. “A lot of [protein] bars are packed with sugar and not actually that good for you. But [Quest bars] are great because they’re high in protein and low in sugar.”